Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. was born in a poor single-parent household in Detroit, Michigan in 1951. Throughout his childhood, he was known to have a horrible temper, and had violent episodes with his family and friends. However, he found his love for reading in high school, and was able to turn the tables and see his grades improve dramatically. Carson graduated from Yale University in 1973 with a degree in Psychology. Four years later, he received his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School.
Carson completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Medical School, and was later appointed as the university’s Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, specializing in traumatic brain surgeries. He worked in Baltimore for the next 29 years as director.
In his tenure at JHU, three of Carson’s medical highlights were: 1. The first successful separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head. 2. The first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins. 3. The first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin.
2001 proved to be a successful year for Mr. Carson as he was named by both CNN and Time Magazine as one of the top 20 foremost physicians and scientists. Later that year he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 “Living Legends”.
12 years later, in 2013, Carson officially retired as a surgeon on July 1, saying “I’d much rather quit when I’m at the top of my game”.
Carson’s legacy will not cease however; two years later, he officially announced his candidacy for President at a rally in his hometown of Detroit.